Second Home questions

[SherryS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SherryS]

Home owners insurance? Do you use the same company to insurance both places or a different company?

We have different insurance companies for our Florida and Michigan condos. Our Michigan company won't insure our Florida condo. (Many companies will not insure homes in Florida, especially those in flood possible areas. )

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

(Chapter 201, Florida Statutes)

Documentary stamp tax is levied at the rate of $.70 per $100 (or portion thereof) on documents that transfer interest in Florida real property, such as warranty deeds and quit claim deeds.

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/taxes/doc_stamp.html
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Car Registration Fees

To register any vehicle in Florida that does have a Florida registration there is an initial registration fee of $100. In addition you will pay a standard registration fee based on the vehicles weight as follows:

##$27.60 for vehicles under 2500 pounds
##$35.60 for vehicles between 2500 and 3499 pounds
##$45.60 for vehicles over 3500


http://www.dmvflorida.org/out-of-sta...stration.shtml

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

How does mail forwarding work? Will the Post Office only forward 1st class mail and hold the rest? How long will they forward at a time? Do they charge for that service?

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

forward mail, first class only, six months, have to re apply after six months for forwarding. no charge. I usually put in a hold mail request about a week or ten days before I return to another address. you have to change address for most magazine subscriptions, but a lot are set up to automatically go back to the old address on a preset date.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

How does mail forwarding work?

Not very well.

First, what does get forwarded sometimes takes a long time, 2-3 weeks. I have been late on some bills because we did not get them before the due date.

Second, some financial institutions do not allow mail to be forwarded. We have had bank accounts cancelled because mail to our northern address was returned to the bank.

We have a USPS.com account, so putting in the orders only costs $1.

I have taken this up with the USPS, and they suggest contacting everyone you do business with or may be sending you mail, and change your mailing address with each of them each time you go to your other place. I have suggested that in this day of electronic enlightenment, wouldn't it be easier for the USPS to do that, for all mail to a recipient, and have it in the system permanently?

When I contacted USPS, they had our local, Northern postmaster call me, and she said it is a big problem in this area because there are so many 2-home recipients.

The best way to get it done is to also notify your local mail delivery person

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Has anyone developed a check list of things they need to do when closing up a house in one location and opening up a house in the other location?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Has anyone developed a check list of things they need to do when closing up a house in one location and opening up a house in the other location?

Yes, but we disregard it.

If you are leaving a "Northern" house unoccupied for the Winter, you have to decide whether to drain the pipes, drain the water heater, and put RV antifreeze in toilets and j-traps, or to leave heat on. If you drain the water heater, make sure to turn the circuit breaker to it off. Of course, an issue if you just leave the heat on is if it fails. Then pipes can freeze.

Shut the water off at the main shut off.

If you drain the water heater, make sure you close the drain valve when you refill it.

Do whatever you need to do with food and stuff in cupboards.

If closing up a house for the summer in a warm and humid climate, leave the AC on and set out some Damprids.

More, but the pizza's ready.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

So leaving the A/C on isn't enough?

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

we set the humidistat on. the first year we did all the other stuff, but found it unnecessary

got a surprise from the mail man today. lots of back mail from May just delivered.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

got a surprise from the mail man today. lots of back mail from May just delivered.

Like I said recently, I'm not right about everything, but I'm not wrong about much.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

So leaving the A/C on isn't enough?

In our case, it is the Florida home being left over the summer. Even with the AC on, the several Damprids DW sets out always get filled.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

If you drain the water heater, make sure you close the drain valve when you refill it.

Maybe the first time you flood your basement, your insurance company will go along with it, but after the second time, they'll probably cut you loose.

In our case, DW came north before me and my best friend opened the house up for her. He turned the water on, and left. When DW came back from walking the dog . . . well, you know.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Oh, yeah, replace the dusk-to-dawn security light that your neighbor shot out.

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

I realized that the pile of mail delivered this week was from the northern post office which was supposed to hold my mail for a week, about two weeks after we returned. They blamed a substitute mail carrier for the mix up.

[mpumilia Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mpumilia]

I realized that the pile of mail delivered this week was from the northern post office which was supposed to hold my mail for a week, about two weeks after we returned. They blamed a substitute mail carrier for the mix up.

Anytime there is an issue with our held mail, our Post Office blames it on a substitute carrier!